You’ll Want to Visit The Sun Soaked Provence Village of Roussillon, France

Our time spent exploring the Provence villages was truly magical. We couldn’t wait to wake up each morning to visit the Provence villages we had on schedule for that day. Each one was just more amazing than the last. There are so many amazing Provence villages that we didn’t get to make it to all the ones on our list, but we can’t wait to take a trip to Provence again next year to revisit our favorite Provence villages and explore new Provence villages we didn’t get to on our last trip. One of our absolute favorite villages we visited in Provence was Roussillon, France. We found it on the Les Plus Beaux Villages de France Provence villages list {the most beautiful villages of France} and we are so glad we did! The moment we stepped out of the car, we realized how special this Provence village is. The entire village appeared to be sun soaked, as it was a myriad of rusty orange and red colors. We had to blink our eyes a few times to readjust our vision to the wonderful sight. You know how sometimes you see gorgeous warm hued photos on Instagram and you think that is must all just be editing? That’s so not the case with the Provence village of Roussillon. It truly is as gorgeously warm toned as it seems in the photos, with intense shades of rusty pink, orange, and red. It’s easy to see why Roussillon is a Provence village that inspired so many artists.

We only had a few hours to spend in Roussillon, France and it was not enough time at all to explore this gorgeous Provence village. Roussillon, France is the second most visited Provence village in the Luberon after Gordes. It’s located on top of a steep hill, which makes for a gorgeous panorama. It originated from a small castle that was built there in 987 and has since been home to many artists. As Marie Mauron famously said, “Who wouldn’t love Roussillon, if they love light, color, ardor, vast horizons and that pristine peace of the starry southern nights?” We couldn’t have said it any better.

Roussillon, France:

A Beautiful Sun Soaked Provence Village

Getting to the Provence Village of Roussillon, France:

Getting to the Provence village of Roussillon can be a little difficult if you do not have a car. There isn’t a great bus or train system that comes into this small Provence village. If you do have a car, it’s very easy to add a visit to Roussillon to the other villages that you explore in the Luberon. There isn’t a lot of parking in the main part of the village, so plan to park in the car park at the top of the hill and walk into the village. The whole village itself is very small so you won’t need a car to get around. It’s so small you won’t even need a map to get around! If you do not have a car, you will either need to hire transportation or look for a tour that visits Roussillon.

Things to do in the Provence Village of Roussillon

Roussillon, France is a Provence village that’s full of artist and art galleries, sleepy cats soaking up the sun, intensely pigmented colors that will will inspire even a non artist, beautiful architectural details, and gorgeous panoramic views. It’s a Provence village that’s meant to be seen by wandering, not by following a travel guide or to do list, but here are some highlights:

1. Grab a cone of lavender ice cream

Almost every ice cream vendor sells the famed lavender ice cream. Grab a cone and enjoy it leisurely as you wander the beautiful streets of Roussillon {keep in mind, you can’t take ice cream into most stores, so enjoy your scoop before wandering into a store}. If you don’t like lavender, they sell many other flavors, but lavender is a favorite in this part of the region.

2. Explore the many art galleries of Roussillon

As previously mentioned, Roussillon was home to many artists over the years and there are many art galleries all over this small Provence village. Many of the artists even use natural pigments made from the ochre in the region to create their artwork. We loved exploring the many art galleries we found. One of the artists was painting outside of his gallery and we spent some time watching him paint. It was really interesting to see the techniques he used when using the natural pigments. Even though we do not paint, we still thought it was fascinating to watch him work and he gave us some great tips on what inspires him and why he prefers using the natural pigments to paint. We ended up buying a small heart shaped painting with a small piece of dried lavender pasted in the center. It’s now in our kitchen as a daily reminder of our beautiful time in this small Provence village.

3. Purchase the famous pigments of this Provence village to take home

Many of the gift shops sell natural pigment paint made from the ochre in the region. I was memorized by all the deeply pigmented colors and even though I am not an artist, I felt so inspired to paint with these beautiful colors. Bassam and I picked out a few of the colors that appealed to us most to take home and have a paint night on a future at home date night. Spend some time in any one of these stores and ask the shopkeeper how the pigments were developed and the best way to use them. There’s a lot history behind them and a special technique for the best way to use them!

4. Les Sentier des Ocres

You MUST walk one of the two Les Sentier des Ocres loops. We skipped this because we were short on time, but had I looked up a Roussillon travel guide beforehand, I would have insisted we do it. There is a small entry fee to get in (about 2.50€ for adults) and two looped walks: a 30 minute walk and a 50 minute walk. Each walk offers fantastic panoramic views and you get to see the ochre this Provence village is known for. I saw some photos later and they seemed so stunning. I’m really bummed we missed this. You can see photos and get tips on this easy hike from this great post I found while searching for information on Les Sentier des Ocres.

4. Photograph the orange, pink, and red homes

All the homes in Roussillon are rusty shades of orange, pink, and red hues due to the ochre in the village. In case you’re not familar with ochre, we weren’t before visiting Roussillon, it’s a natural clay earth pigment which is a mixture of ferric oxide and varying amounts of clay and sand. Roussillon was home to an ochre mine in the past, which is now open as a tourist attraction. We spent the majority of our time photographing the beautiful homes in this Provence village, as we couldn’t get enough of the gorgeous colors.

How long to spend in Roussillon, France

This depends on what type of travel pace you prefer. You can do anywhere from a few days to a few hours. We explored Roussillon the same day we explored Menerbes and Gordes. This should be a doable itinerary if you like to move at a fast pace. We like to move at a slower pace and we did not feel we got to thoroughly explore any of the three Provence villages we visited that day. Provence villages are made for long, leisurely lunches. Ample time spent wandering the cobblestone streets. Meandering in and out of shops. Taking in the sights, sounds, and colors of the village. They are not made for speed visiting. That being said, I think you should allow more time than you think you will need to fully soak in the experience in any Provence village. We would have really enjoyed a half day to a full day spent in Roussillon. Bassam actually loved it so much that he wished we spent the night.

Nearby Provence Villages:

If you want to just spend a few hours in Roussillon, France and combine it with another Provence village for the day, here are some close by charming Provence villages you can visit the same day as Roussillon:

Gordes, Lacoste, Bonnieux, Menerbes, Oppede

Speed travelers may be able to combine three of these Provence villages in a day trip, slower paced travelers may be able to combine 2. Oppede is an easy Provence village to add on as you only need about 2-3 hours there.

Where to stay in Roussillon, France

As we mentioned in this post, we think a perfect home base for exploring Provence villages and especially the Luberon is Isle Sur La Sorgue {search accommodations here}. It’s conveniently located to most Provence villages, especially the ones in the Luberon, has a great bus and train station, and ample parking. We don’t think an overnight stay is really necessary in Roussillon as it’s a very small Provence village, but if you fall in love with it and want to stay the night, here are a few accommodations we recommend:

Le Clos de la Glycine – a Roussillon boutique hotel with 9 rooms and 2 restaurants. Budget friendly, even though it looks luxe, great reviews, and fantastic location

Hotel les Ambres – located within a national park and less than a mile from the main part of Roussillon. Budget friendly and pretty

La Maison des Ocres – no frills, but clean. Located in the main part of the village and has an outdoor pool

Subscribe to get the latest

Comments

Roussillon is one of my favourite villages in Provence – I could just roam the pastel lanes all day if given the opportunity! Shame you didn’t get to do the Ochre trail – it’s magical. Maybe next time!